Episode 1 Safari 8

This is Kruger National Park, in South Africa.

Home to some of the biggest,

fastest and deadliest animals on the planet.

CBBC have brought four British and four South African children

to spend a month here, training to be rookie game-rangers.

Leading them on this adventure will be their mentors,

trails ranger Rudi...

It's taken me years to learn to be a ranger. They've only got one month.

..and guide, Frankie.

In the bush, Danger can be around any corner. The Safari 8

need to be alert and ready at any time.

Eight kids, two mentors and one massive challenge,

to lead two celebrity guests on a safari experience of a lifetime.

It's day one of Safari 8.

And for our British rookie rangers, Ella, Kushal, Caroline and Tomas

the adventure starts with a 5,000 mile journey to South Africa.

-You the lucky lady travelling?

-Yes.

For 12-year-old Ella,

there's no question which African animal she's an "ele-fan" of.

I'm looking forward to the elephants.

I love elephants because

they're big, chunky trunks.

So Ella's psyched about the wildlife,

but 13-year-old Caroline's got concerns about the call of nature.

I'm always been scared of aeroplane toilets,

cos the first time I went on them, it sucked me in!

I've never been on them since.

Holding it in for a 12-hour flight could be interesting.

And down-to-earth toilets aren't the only thing Caroline's going to miss.

When I say goodbye to my mum, I'll probably end up crying.

I promised myself I wouldn't, and I said I wouldn't,

but it's inevitable. Mum, I love you so much.

Bye. Go on then!

Boys, Kushal and Tomas are trying to stay strong.

I don't think I'll cry. I'll try and hold it in, be a man.

But if they cry, then I'll just try and keep it in.

A month is a long time. But when you think of it,

it's a trip of a lifetime.

I think the other kids will be my new family for the next month.

-Be good, love you!

-Enjoy yourself, don't be cheeky!

So, with waves, smiles and tears,

the four Brits head off to catch their plane.

Waiting at Johannesburg airport,

ready to join them on the flight to Kruger Park,

is the South African half of the Safari 8 team.

Nomalungelo, Manya, Sifiso and Ashleigh.

Yours doesn't have a card on it.

It's my first time on an aeroplane, and I guess it's going to be fun.

I'm really excited to meet the guys,

new people from different places, to know how they live.

Just look at my sad face! Agh, it's just so sad!

But for 14-year-old Nomalungelo from Pietermaritzburg,

making friends with the Brits should be no problem at all.

I'm a really outgoing person, and I'm really interactive with others.

I speak Zulu as a home language at home.

I speak English here at school most of the time.

During Afrikaans lessons we speak Afrikaans with one another.

She's the kind of person who can enjoy to be with anybody.

In fact, Nomalungelo takes talking to another level.

I do debating at school, and I play the first speaker.

Debating is all about interacting with a person,

and arguing at the same time in a respectful manner.

Nomalungelo also loves playing hockey, and...

the marimba.

Marimba is the African xylophone.

I didn't know much about it when I started playing it.

But I enjoy playing marimba a lot. A lot.

At home, Nomalungelo is just as outgoing as she is at school.

Sometimes we run around the house, we play balls.

She's a lot of fun, and when you're with her, you enjoy it.

We'll miss her. We'll miss her, but...

we are happy for her.

But how does Nomalungelo feel about the challenge that lies ahead?

I expect Safari 8 to be really exciting.

An adventure experience that's unforgettable.

And their unforgettable experience is starting right now.

Its time to say goodbye to their family,

and say hello to their brand new team-mates.

I can't wait to meet the kids from the UK.

It's going to really exciting. I just can't wait!

The four Brits have been in the air for over half a day.

But they've finally landed, and after that long flight,

it's the moment all eight have been waiting for.

I love South African accents. I can enjoy listening to them speak.

Hi!

Hello! I'm Nomalungelo. Can you pronounce it?

The Safari 8 have finally come together as a team.

And although none of them has a clue what lies ahead,

for the next four weeks

of their training, they'll be getting to know each other.

I'm looking forward to enjoying other kids, and having a really nice time.

And seeing nature taking its course in the Kruger National Park.

Everyone's going to be great. We'll have the best time ever together.

ALL: One, two, three, SAFARI!

Over the next four weeks, the Safari 8 will be tracking rhinos,

examining buffalos, and studying lions.

They'll meet the mentors who'll be guiding them through their journey.

Lot of hard work ahead. Not a lot of sleep, but we will get there.

-We can do anything.

-Ha-ha!

Our rookie rangers have a one-on-one to remember.

It was my first time I touched an elephant. It was amazing!

The team get their first glimpse of a completely wild animal.

Look, there! There!

The Safari 8 are completing the final leg of their travels

to Kruger National Park,

where they'll be living and learning for the next four weeks.

The park is home to some of the cutest, ugliest, cheekiest,

freakiest and sleepiest living creatures on the planet.

Both the land and the animals are cared for by a team of game rangers.

Two of these animal experts have agreed

to teach the Safari 8 for the next month.

They are, Rudi and Frankie.

They are waiting for our rookie rangers at an elephant sanctuary

to give them their first ever ranger briefing.

I'm so excited.

-Good morning, kids.

-ALL: Morning.

Welcome to the Lowveld. I'm Rudi, I'm a ranger in Kruger National Park.

I'm Frankie. The two of us will be your mentors.

We look after the welfare of the animals.

That means managing habitat and protecting them from outside dangers.

For the next month, we're going to teach as much as you need to know

about the bush, tracking animals, viewing animals.

One thing you have to remember is this is a wild environment.

There's no tame animals around. So safety always first.

Going to be really early mornings,

really hard work. Are you all up for it?

ALL: Yes!

Our eight rookie rangers better mean it,

because Rudi and Frankie won't be going easy on them.

Our mentors live and work in Kruger Park

and their job is one of the most challenging,

dangerous and worthwhile on the planet.

I always wanted to be a guide.

I've got the biggest and best office in the world!

With ten ranger years under his belt,

Rudi is one of Kruger's most experienced trails rangers.

As well as leading safaris to track the Big Five on foot...

Hmm, still fresh.

..he looks after the animal's health and wellbeing.

And Rudi's seen it all. From rhinos with attitude,

to cranky crocodiles, and he's even been attacked by a lion.

So he's got high expectations for the Safari 8.

It's taken me years to learn to be a ranger. They've only got one month.

I expect nothing less than 100% from these rookie rangers.

Frankie is an expert safari guide who tracks the Big Five everyday.

For five years he's worked in Kruger at a private lodge.

If anyone knows how to give a perfect safari experience, it's him.

Leading a safari is not just about animals.

It's about looking after your guests and catering for their every need.

And he knows the challenge ahead for the Safari 8.

In the bush, danger can be around any corner.

The Safari 8 need to be alert and have to be ready at any time.

With just one month to teach all the skills to become rookie rangers,

have they bitten off more than they can chew?

It's going to be hard work getting them into shape.

Getting their confidence up.

Lot of hard work ahead, not a lot of sleep, but we will get there.

-We can do anything!

-Ha-ha!

With introductions over,

the mentors reveal the massive task lying ahead for the Safari 8.

The reason why we're going through all this,

is to prepare you guys for your final challenge.

In your final challenge...

you will be leading a safari for guests tracking the Big Five.

That's so good!

I'm so excited to be able to know how to track animals. It's like, wow!

We're a team. If anyone forgets,

we can just remind each other along the way.

What our rookie rangers don't know

is that their guests are celebrities.

And they'll have to compete with their team-mates

to get the best jobs on the two-day challenge.

By "tracking the animals", do you mean smelling their poo?

-We're going to teach you to do that, yes.

-Eew!

-Tomas.

-What are the Big Five?

The Big Five is rhino, elephant, leopard, lion and buffalo.

I'm feeling nervous about tracking the Big Five on the last day.

I think we will need to put a lot of work and effort in,

to make it happen.

Tomas is right to be nervous.

The Big Five are some of the most dangerous animals on the planet,

and the ones everyone wants to see.

Our team will be getting a hands-on experience

with these wild creatures.

Have you had any dangerous experiences?

I've been attacked by a lion before.

I really want to know what happened with Rudi and the lion.

Find out, and make a story out of it.

To make it as a game-ranger, a love of wildlife is essential,

so it's high time our rookie rangers

got their first face-to-face experience with a safari animal.

And tame African elephants, Casper and Kitso

are the perfect way to ease them in gently.

-Wow!

-Look at them!

-They're enormous!

It's quite a privilege to see animals this close.

You guys know why these elephants are here?

Could they have been orphaned or something? Mother's died,

-or something?

-Yes.

Kushal is spot on. Both Kitso and Casper

were taken in by the elephant sanctuary as young calves

to be cared for after they lost their parents.

They come here to be rehabilitated, and then we reintroduce them

back into the wild.

We bring new rangers down here

so that they can come and see, what you guys are experiencing.

See what an elephant looks like up close and personal.

My first impression of the elephants was, wow! Really cool.

Then when he said we could touch them, was like, WOW!

14-year-old Ashleigh is impressed. But for 12-year-old, elephant-mad,

Ella from London, getting a chance to come nose to trunk

with the elephants is a lifelong dream come true.

Touching an elephant was quite emotional,

I've always wanted to do it.

Quite overwhelming really. Probably, it was one of my favourite days.

Been the best day of my life so far!

And judging by Ella's bedroom, that's not hard to believe.

This is my room, as you can see, Ella's Room.

I've got a lot of elephants cos they're my favourite animal.

There's a baby and a little mum.

They're such magnificent creatures.

I love them for their uniqueness to all the other animals.

I would love to see and meet an animal

just as big and magnificent as that.

You can definitely see the resemblance of a tiger in her.

Ella doesn't just love elephants, she loves all animals.

From her cat, Rosie, to the bugs at the bottom of her garden.

Sometimes we go into the garden with the camera

and Ella takes the lead. She's passionate about being a narrator.

My main ambition in life,

is to probably be like a David Attenborough.

Let's start over here.

This is a really, really cool spot for animals.

Thank you for coming and watching. See you next time.

The wildlife is the biggest plus of going on safari.

But is there one luxury Ella's definitely going to miss?

-Ella couldn't live without her phone.

-She's always talking on her mobile.

I do talk to my friends a lot on the phone,

and I probably run up £100 a month.

-PHONE RINGS

-Is that my phone?

OK, I'll reject that.

But, in spite of missing her mobile,

Ella can't wait to start her ranger training in South Africa.

I'd love to be a park ranger because you get to be around animals 24/7.

I'm looking forward to everything.

Ella's ranger training has officially started.

Every task the team are given will help them achieve their goal

of becoming fully fledged, rookie game rangers.

And the first lesson for the new recruits to learn,

is that staying calm around wild animals is vital.

Even though Kitso and Casper were handled from a young age,

any sudden movements could frighten them.

It was scary. Normally on TV, when you see an elephant

you never think about how huge it is.

When I got near it I was like, oh my gosh!

If only my mum could see me now!

It was the first time I'd touched an elephant. It was amazing!

It's quite bumpy, and it's got a lot of wrinkles,

but it was absolutely amazing.

Elephants are really different. You expect them to be all soft,

but they are really hard, their feet are really hard.

Ooh!

ELEPHANT RUMBLES

I actually heard them, kind of talk.

It's kind of like a purr, if you know what I mean.

But a really big noise. It's really weird.

Now you have seen your first elephants, it's now time for us

to take you into Kruger Park where the hard work and training starts.

Follow us, guys.

Bye, Casper!

Coming up, the teams settle in to their rocking new ranger pad.

Oh, cool!

Your scenery is your TV. It's like live, HD television.

There's an uninvited visitor in camp.

The boys screamed at a higher pitch than the girls.

And mentor Rudi spills the beans about his big cat encounter.

..if she had any power left in her jaws, I would have been dead.

It's finally time for the Safari 8 to enter Kruger National Park,

where they'll learn to be game-rangers for the next month.

At 20,000km square, the park is as big as Wales.

In fact it would take you 120 hours of solid walking

to cross from the north to the south of the park.

At this time of year, the maximum average temperature

in Kruger is hot. Over 30 degrees hot!

But the heat doesn't bother the 175,000 animals that live here.

Including over 12,000 elephants, 17,000 zebra and 27,000 buffalo.

Being out here is like this whole new experience.

You see these different things you can't see at home.

It's important to remember that this isn't a zoo.

These animals are wild and dangerous,

so Rudi and Frankie lay down some serious safari rules.

When we're in the vehicle, you guys need to be as quiet as possible.

Especially when we're on a sighting.

The animals do get close, don't try and call them closer.

Don't start pointing at animals. They can see the silhouette,

and that's when they either start moving away or get aggressive.

Stay seated at all times. That's the most important one to remember.

Although the park is home to thousands of animals,

it's sheer size means sometimes they're amazingly hard to spot.

Our intrepid team of rookie rangers have their eyes peeled,

hoping they will be the first to see a wild animal

and follow the ranger rules they've just learned.

-A giraffe!

-A giraffe!

-Where?

-Look, there!

-Oh my God!

That's some serious rule breaking.

-Shh!

-What did we say, guys?

Wow!

So nice! I knew you'd see one first.

Look at the other one.

One, two, three, four, five! Yeah, yeah!

Wow, they're amazing!

I'm really excited because this is what we really came for,

just seeing all the animals.

Bye giraffe! See you later!

It's going to be so overwhelming, going to be so fun!

They may have their first wild animal sighting in the bag,

but the Safari 8 are a long way from completing their final challenge.

Taking guests on a two-day safari experience to track the Big Five.

If they're learning to be rangers, they'll need to live like them too.

Just check out this fierce tree house.

With a funky front yard, or "Lapa",

eight beds and two bathrooms, this is one serious safari crib.

And let's not forget the piece de resistance...

Are you ready to check out your new home?

-ALL: Yeah!

-Off you go.

Ah!

Ah, cool! This is so cool!

Wow! Oh, my God, so cool! I've never seen anything

in my life like the tree house. It's amazing.

-Ah look!

-Ah!

The view from the tree house is incredible. Absolutely amazing.

-Its amazing.

-Look at my net and everything!

It's so cool.

Oh, this tree house is so cool!

Its like you don't need a TV.

Your scenery is your TV. It's like live, HD television.

Dibs, dibs!

We can see like everything.

I can't wait to see a lion making it's roaring noise!

ROAR! Can't wait.

-Look!

-An impala look! Guys, an impala!

Everyone seems to be blown away by the tree house,

and no-one more so than 12-year-old Tomas, from Swansea.

It's absolutely nothing like Wales.

In Wales, you've got sheep.

Here you have hippopotamuses, giraffes, elephants.

It's not just sheep in Wales, Tomas.

You seem to be forgetting the pigeons.

My grandpa likes to race pigeons.

And he thinks of it as a bit of a sport.

And he's won a couple of trophies.

Well, on a weekend when he does come up here,

I take him into the shed and he gives me a hand to clean out.

But Tomas doesn't just love pigeons. He loves all animals,

including his furry, faithful pet.

My dog's name is Molly, I feed her in the mornings.

And I take her for lots of walks.

Because I'm an only child, having Molly is like a sister.

She's quite fun!

Luckily, Tomas has some non-canine relatives too.

He's got four boy cousins which he's really close to.

Tomas makes friends really easily. He's very outgoing, very sociable.

And being an only child does have its pros and cons.

The advantages are, you get more for Christmas.

And the disadvantages are you get quite bored in the house.

You've got no-one to play on the games console with.

Boy, does Tomas love playing with his gadgets.

The things I'll miss most has probably got to be my computer,

my mobile phone, my friends, my family and my dog.

Er, in that order Tomas?

No...I'd probably put it family, friends,

my dog Molly, my laptop and then my mobile phone.

That's better. All that aside,

Tomas couldn't be more excited about his adventure.

I think it's going to be a chance of a lifetime.

And I'm very lucky to get through.

As the Safari 8 settle into their swanky new bush pad,

they're suddenly confronted with their first big test

towards completing their final ranger challenge...

Animal handling.

-I don't like spiders!

-It's a daddy-longlegs, man!

It's got long legs, don't it!

It's worrying. The boys screamed at a higher pitch than the girls.

-Is it poisonous?

-No.

-What is it?

-It's a daddy-longlegs.

Kushal was screaming like a girl. I was like, what are you doing!?

Manya is a brave little boy. I take my hat off to him.

He immediately took the spider onto his hand. No problems.

Has it lost a leg?

I've always loved the bush.

It's really cool to be around the animals,

and be really part of nature.

-I'm not touching that, sorry.

-Come on!

-Don't let him near my bed!

-Do you want to be rookie rangers?

If I don't like it, I'm chucking it!

-It's not going to do anything.

-Can I have a glove?

Just let it walk onto you.

I can't believe they're so scared!

Especially the English kids, they're so scared of spiders.

-I'm not scared.

-I see that. Sorry, Sifiso.

-We need to work on Kushal, eh?

-Ja. He's scared.

Sifiso really isn't impressed with the Brits.

Although it doesn't take long before Tomas steps up to the plate...

Come, put your hand here.

..with a helping hand from Rudi.

But Kushal is still cowering in the corner.

-Part of a team.

-If Tomas can do it, you can do it.

-Can I have it just for a bit?

-Ja, I'll take it off you.

Kushal touched the spider after a while.

-There you go.

-Can you take it please?

-Why?

-That's enough now.

-I held it. Finished. Game over.

-Well done.

First step to becoming a ranger.

Sorry, I have a phobia of spiders.

In spite of some of the team members' hesitation

to handle the long-legged intruder,

Mentor Rudi can see ranger potential in the group.

It's a good thing that they actually reacted to the spider

before picking it up.

It's always a good thing not to pick up things in the bush. They did well.

All right, kids. As rangers or guides,

after a hard day in the bush,

we always sit around a fire and just have a chat to each other.

Have you any questions now?

Rudi, can you carry on your story about the lion attack?

Ja. Ahem...

I'd been working as a trails ranger in the Park, taking guests out.

Normally with lions, as soon as they see people on foot, they run away.

At one stage we did see lions, we saw the female. She was a bit aggressive,

growling at us.

She didn't want to run away, so I thought it was quite unusual.

We started walking away, and as we walked away, she charged us.

As she came around the bush,

I shot a warning shot into the ground in front of her.

It didn't phase her at all.

She just kept on coming. She was about three metres away from me,

and then she jumped,

and as she came past me, I turned and I shot her through the jaw.

She dropped for a split-second and then she was up again.

She put her claw out and she grabbed me on my side.

We started spinning together, I lost my rifle at that stage,

and she was right on top of me. She started mauling me,

started ripping my arms. I put my arms over my head.

Suddenly, I don't know why,

the weight was just lifted, and I looked out and I saw her running off.

If she had any power left in her jaws, I would have been dead.

I couldn't see out of my right eye, she scratched me inside my eye.

You can come and have a look at the scars around my arms, here.

-Wow!

-And the sides, and the back...

The scars up his arm are really deep. I couldn't imagine...

I was just sitting there, stiffened up. It was horrible.

I was so...wow!

It actually went on him and started scratching him!

I think I would wet my pants even if I saw that on telly!

I was quite shocked by that.

Why did none of the people shoot the lion?

When she was busy mauling me, apparently my assistant, he shot

either side of the lion quite a few times to get her to leave me alone.

I didn't hear it because adrenaline just takes over.

I didn't hear any shots.

Why I'm telling you this is because you really need to be serious.

It's not a zoo out there. So you really need to get an early night

so we can start your training and keep you as safe as possible.

So with Rudi's lion story still ringing in their ears

the Safari 8 can't wait to report on their first day

as rookie game rangers.

The first day's been so challenging,

so nice and it has been an amazing experience.

I'm missing my cat,

and I'm missing my phone. So much, my phone.

I'm getting on well with all the girls in the park,

but especially Ella

because it's nice we have something to relate to.

There's quite a few differences between us.

Sometimes I really don't understand what Tomas says.

I'm like, "Tomas, can you repeat that?"

Our vocabulary's different.

They say things like "budge up".

I'm like, what are you saying?

Cos we say "move over", you know?

I'm getting along with Sifiso really good.

But if he snores, he's out of here.

Today, the person I probably got the best on with

was probably Kushal... yeah, Kushal.

We share interest with football and cricket.

He's good at cricket.

We talk about that. And games and music.

I'm sure after the Safari experience,

Kushal and I will stay friends.

Day one has been absolutely... Bizam!

It's been fantastic.

Cannot wait for what's in store tomorrow.

Next time on Safari 8, the team get suited and booted.

-I want all your shoes polished every day. That includes mine.

-What!?

A safari walk leads to a shocking discovery.

I'm not good with dead things.

And a ranger initiation gives

the team their first real taste of the bush.

When I had to actually pick it up and put it in my mouth... Eurgh!